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Lac Operon Switch
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Find the regulatory gene, promoter, operator and structural genes on 3D DNA inside an E. coli cell, then add lactose to the medium and run cell time: the repressor leaves the operator, RNA polymerase passes, β-galactosidase builds up, and the switch turns off again once the lactose is used up. Predict what mutants with a broken regulatory gene or operator will do, and compare with gene regulation in a eukaryotic cell.
Key conceptslac operon · gene regulation · repressor · operator · promoter · regulatory gene · structural genes · transcription factor